Refrigerated liquid dispenser



W E M 3 L R w w MH 0T INT 4 R 2 {w W N A a a 2... N Mm .w D c I O Y E 0 Yl'l/f/ld O 7 Mm Z M My 5 Z June 1954 o. E. IHLE ET AL REFRIGERATED LIQUID DISPENSER Filed Dec. 24, 1951 Patented June 29, 1954 REFRIGERATED LIQUID DISPENSER Orden E. Ihle, Glendale, Calif., and Thomas Norman, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Orden E. Ihle, doing business as Ihle Manufacturing Company, Glendale, Calif.

Application December 24, 1951, Serial No. 263,104

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to liquid dispensers and, more particularly, to a refrigerated liquid dispenser having a receptacle for a supply of the liquid to be dispensed and having means for dispensing liquid from the receptacle. The invention has particular utility as a dispenser of such beverages as soft drinks, juices and the like, and will be considered in connection therewith as a matter of convenience.

In general, the present invention contemplates a dispenser which includes a supporting structure providing a retainer for the receptacle, the retainer preferably having the form of a base or seat on which the receptacle may be placed. The invention also includes a refrigerating means which is adapted to be disposed within the receptacle so as to contact directly the liquid to be refrigerated. Also, the invention includes agitating means for agitating the liquid in the receptacle, agitation being particularly necessary when the dispenser is used in connection with fruit juices since these frequently contain solid material which tends to settle out otherwise.

An important object of the invention is to provide a dispenser wherein the refrigerating means is pivotally connected to the supporting structure adjacent its upper end so that it can be swung outwardly into a position permitting removal of the receptacle from the retainer. With this construction, the receptacle may be removed readily for cleaning, which is an important feature, a related object being to provide a receptacle having a smooth interior so that it may be cleaned readily.

Another object is to provide a refrigerating means which includes a refrigerating element adapted to be disposed adjacent the bottom of the receptacle, and which includes supporting means for the refrigerating element which is connected at its lower end to the refrigerating element and which is pivotally connected at its upper end to the supporting structure.

Another object is to provide a refrigerating means which includes refrigerant tubes running through the supporting means, such refrigerant With this construction,

A: the agitator produces circulation of the liquid around the refrigerating element to prevent formation of frost or ice thereon, which is an important feature of the invention.

Another object is to provide driving means below the receptacle and operatively connected to the agitator for rotating the agitator.

Still another important object is to provide a driving means which includes a rotatable driving element magnetically coupled to the agitator, thereby avoiding any necessity for a shaft through the bottom of the receptacle, or extending downwardly thereinto from the top. With such magnetic coupling between the driving element and the agitator, removal of the receptacle from the supporting structure for cleaning, or for other purposes, is greatly facilitated. which is an important feature.

Another object is to provide means for latching the refrigerating means in its inoperative position so that the receptacle may be disengaged therefrom readily.

The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention, together with various other objects and advantages thereof which will become apparent, may be attained with the ex emplary embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and which is discussed in detail hereinafter. Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section, of a refrigerated liquid dispenser which embodies the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the refrigerated liquid dispenser;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the arrowed line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional View taken along the arrowed line i-d of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a housing which serves as a supporting structure for various elements of the dispenser, the supporting structure or housing providing a space for a receptacle I 1 adapted to contain a supply of a liquid to be dispensed. The receptacle I! is substantially hemicylindrical in the particular construction illustrated and preferably is formed of a transparent material so that the liquid therein can be viewed from the outside. The housing It also provides a retainer for the receptacle, the retainer preferably being a simple base or seat I2 on which the receptacle is adapted to rest. Disposed below the seat l2 and communicating with the interior of 1 the receptacle l I is a dispensing valve I3 through which liquid may be dispensed from the receptacle in the usual manner. A removable cover I4 is also provided.

Adapted to be disposed within the receptacle II is a refrigerating means I! which includes a refrigerating element l8 adapted to be disposed centrally of the receptacle adjacent the bottom thereof. The refrigerating element is tubular and includes a housing or jacket IS) in which is disposed a helical refrigerant coil 20. The refrigerating element It! is suspended within the receptacle by a supporting means 2| which is illustrated as having the form of a-generally vertical tubular support 22 connected at its lower end to the refrigerating element. 'Ihesupporting means 2| also includes a bifurcated element 24 the arms of which are pivotally connected to supporting brackets 25 on the housing l by pins 26. The brackets 25 also carry pins 21 which extend through arcuate slots 28 in the arms of the bifurcated element 24, the pins 2? serving to limit pivotal movement of the supporting means 2|. Each slot/28 is provided at one end with an offset portion, best shown in Fig. 4, which serves to receive the corresponding pin 2-! to latch the supporting means 2| in an inoperative position. The pins 2! are biased into the offset portions of the slots '28 by springs 25.

As clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the refrigerating means 11, i. e., the refrigerating element l8 and the supporting means 2| therefor, are pivotable about the axis of the pivot pins 26 from an operative position, shown in solid lines, to an inoperative position, shown in broken lines. When the refrigerating means I"! is pivoted to its inoperative position, the receptacle I moves outwardly into a position wherein it clears the base or seat if so that it may be moved downwardly to disengage it from the refrigerating ,means, the refrigerating means being latched in the inoperative position by the pins 27. Thus, bypivotally connecting the refrigerating means i to the supporting structure or housing in this manner, the receptacle i1 may be removed for cleaning, or for other purposes, very readily, which is an important feature of the invention.

As best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, a liquidphase refrigerant tube 30 and a vapor-phase refrigerant tube 3| extend downwardly into the tubular support 22, these tubes being connected at their lower ends to the refrigerant .coil 20. These tubes extend upwardly into a hollow portion 32 and outwardly through an opening 33 into the space between the arms of the bifurcated element 24. In this zone, the tubes 30 and 3| are provided with flexible portions 34 and 35, respectively, these flexible portions permitting pivotal movementof the refrigerating means I! in the manner hereinbefore described. Disposed alongside the tubes 3|! and 3| is another tube 36 which may form part of a thermostat means for controlling the temperature of the liquid in the receptacle ii, this tube 36 also having a flexible portion 31 between the arms of the bifurcated element 24. The tubes 39, 3| and 3.6 are connected to a suitable refrigeration system, not shown, disposed within the housing ID.

Carried by the bottom wall of the receptacle l and centrally located with respect to the tubular refrigerating element l is a rotatable agitator 4| which carries at least one bar magnet and which isshown as having two bar magnets 42 embedded therein. Disposed below the receptacle H and carried .by the housing H] is a driving means for rotating the agitator, the driving means including a driving element 44 which is disposed just below the bottom wall of the housing In in registry with the agitator 4|. The driving element 44 has one or more bar magnets 45 embedded therein and may be driven in any suitable manner, as by an electric motor 46.

Thus, the agitator 4| is magnetically coupled to the driving element 44 so that the agitator is driven without any direct mechanical connection through the bottom wall of the receptacle Thisis an important feature since it greatly facilitates removal of the receptacle H for cleaning, and also greatly facilitates cleaning of the receptacle.

It will be-noted that the agitator 4| is centrally located with respect to the tubular refrigerating element l8 and adjacent thereto. Consequently, circulation established by the agitator carries completely around the tubular refrigerating element, such circulation being, in general, upwardly through the interior of the refrigerating element and-then downwardly around the'exterior thereof. This circulation, in addition to maintaining any solids in the liquid in suspension, also prevents frost or ice formation on the refrigerating element l8, which is an important feature of the invention.

Although I have disclosed an exemplary embodiment of my invention herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in this embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention.

We claim as our invention:

'1. In a refrigerated liquid dispenser, the combination of a supporting structure providing a base for a receptacle; a receptacle adapted to seat on said base; refrigerating means adapted to be disposed in said receptacle and pivotally connected to said supporting structure; a rotatable agitator in said receptacle adjacent said refrigerating means; driving means for said agitator carried by said supporting structure, including a rotatable driving element below said receptacle and aligned with said agitator when said receptacle is on said base; and magnetic coupling means carried by said agitator and said driving element for operatively connecting said agitator tosaid driving element.

2. In a refrigerated liquid dispenser including a liquid containing receptacle adapted to move between an operative and an inoperative position, the combination of: an upright housing having a recess in one side thereof providing a base for the receptacle when the latter is in the operative position; refrigerating means disposed in said receptacle, said refrigerating means including a refrigerating element and including supporting means for said refrigerating element which is connected at its lower end to said refrigerating element and which is pivotally connected at its upper end to said housing, said supporting means being adapted to pivot laterally with said refrigerating element to permit said receptacle to move off said base to the inoperative position; a rotatable agitator in said receptacle adjacent said refrigerating element; and rotatable driving means outside said receptacle and operatively connected to said agitator for rotating same, the movement of the receptacle from operative to inoperative position disconnecting said agitator and said driving means.

3. A dispenser according to claim wherein said rotatable driving means is positioned below said base.

4. A dispenser according to claim 3 wherein said rotatable driving means and said agitator are operatively connected by magnetic coupling means when said receptacle is in operative position and automatically disconnected by the movement of the receptacle from operative to inoperative position.

5. In a refrigerated liquid dispenser having a liquid-containing receptacle adapted to move between a first position in which said receptacle is retained in a housing and a second position in which said receptacle is free of said housing, the combination of: a base in said housing on which said receptacle is adapted to seat when in said first position; a dispensing valve carried by said housing and communicating with the interior of the receptacle when the latter is in said first position; a rotatable agitator in said receptacle; rotatable driving means disposed below said base; magnetic coupling means carried by said agitator and said driving means operatively connecting same only when said receptacle is in said first position; and a refrigerating element pivoted to said housing and extending within said receptacle, said refrigerating element being adapted to pivot laterally to permit movement of said receptacle between said first and said second position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,618,650 Gilchrist Feb. 22, 1927 2,232,998 Cernohouz Feb. 26, 1941 2,319,429 Nelson May 18, 1943 2,350,534 Rosinger June 5, 1944 2,400,773 Nelson May 21, 1946 2,431,484 Kaufman Nov. 25, 1947 2,466,468 Neal Apr. 5, 1949 2,559,877 Ihle et al July 10, 1951 

